The present invention relates generally to the configuration and management of computer stations, and more particularly, to configuring computer stations linked together by a computer network.
For a networked computer station to be operable, it must first be configured with configuration information. The configuration information includes, for instance, the computer operating system. Conventionally, such information is installed on a computer using a master configuration disk. The master configuration disk is physically carried to the computer station which is to be configured. Once delivered, the master configuration disk is installed in a disk reader, such as a floppy disk drive, and copied into the memory of the computer station. The master configuration disk is then removed from the disk reader and typically stored at a central location. Additional computer stations can similarly be configured with the master configuration disk.
When a computer network is formed, it is often desirable that all of the computer stations within the network initially have the same configuration information installed. When the network is formed of a large number of computer stations, installing the configuration information at each of the computer stations can become a time-consuming and tedious process. For example, the master configuration disk must be provided to each of the computer stations by physically transporting the master configuration disk to each station. Once provided to each of the computer stations, the configuration information must be read into the local memories of each station. Additionally, updating each of the computer stations with upgraded configuration information requires the same time-consuming and tedious process.
To avoid the above process, the configuration information, as well as updates thereto, could be provided to the computer stations by way of network connections. However, if different configuration information is required at different computer stations ensuring that the correct configuration information is provided to the computer stations becomes burdensome. Thus, conventional techniques for installing and updating configuration information via the network is, in many cases, considered impractical.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved technique by which to more easily configure and maintain computer stations connected to form a computer network.
The details of such technique and additional advantages and features will be described below.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved technique is provided for configuring networked client stations with configuration information.
One or more main storage devices are connected with the client stations via the network. The configuration information necessary for the operation of the client stations is stored on the main storage device(s). The main storage device(s) could be, for example, one or more hard disks, or optical disks which form part of a network server(s).
The configuration information stored on the main storage device(s) is made available to the client stations using one or more virtual disks that include a representation, e.g., main storage device address identifiers, of the applicable configuration information, e.g., master configuration information. Each client station is capable of receiving identifiers of the appropriate configuration information from the virtual disk(s). Each of the virtual disk(s) is preferably a copy-on-write logical disk.
Each of the client stations typically has a local storage device, such as the hard disk of a personal computer (PC). A representation of a first virtual disk can be stored on the local storage device and accessed by a local processor. For example, the representation in the local storage is accessible by a PC processors to provide to the client station identifiers of the first configuration information, e.g., a master configuration.
A second virtual disk may include a representation of second configuration information, e.g., another master configuration or a modification, e.g., upgrade, to the master configuration represented by an identifier on the first virtual disk. A representation of the second virtual disk can be stored at the local storage device. It can be accessed by the local processor to provide an identifier of the second configuration information to another client station, making it possible to provide each client station with a choice of configurations. For example, a first client could choose a configuration including software A, B, and C while a second client could choose a configuration including only A and B.
In practice, the representation of a master configuration is formed, e.g., copied on a virtual disk. A logical copy of the virtual disk is used to create a snapshot of that virtual disk, using, for example, copy-on-write techniques. The snapshot forms the second virtual disk which represents only modifications to the virtual which it is associated. To upgrade a client station, instead of exporting a modified first virtual disk to a client station, only the snapshot is exported. This allows a client station to alter its configuration information by substituting only the snapshot. In this fashion, the identifiers stored on the first virtual disk are not altered. Accordingly, the first virtual disk can be used to provide numerous client stations with identical master configuration information, and the second virtual disks can be used to provide applicable client stations with modifications to the master configuration information.